A Released WWE Superstar Made A Cameo Appearance On AEW Dynamite This Week

The former WWE Superstar who made a blink and you'll miss it appearance on Wednesday's Dynamite was Cal Bloom. No offense to Bloom, but that name probably isn't ringing any bells, even for the most hardened wrestling fans among you. If I were to tell you Bloom's WWE name was Von Wagner, then your memories of him may well come flooding back.

Wagner made a brief appearance during the brawl between Powerhouse Hobbs and Mark Davis. Assuming the role of a security guard, Wagner was one of many tasked with keeping the two wrestlers apart. Some fans clocked the former NXT star and shared screenshots on Twitter, checking with others that they didn't imagine it. Others, I'm sure, are learning Wagner was briefly All Elite by reading this.

WWE's Lofty Expectations For Von Wagner

Wagner was released by WWE in April 2024 and hasn't returned to wrestling for almost an entire year, picking up his first Indy booking earlier this month. While there's an outside chance he was brought in to play the role of a security guard on Dynamite with a view to a more prominent role, and perhaps even an AEW contract, seems unlikely.

There was a period during his time in WWE during which the company seemed adamant it was going to make a star of Von Wagner. He was pushed to the top of the NXT card, and even though he never held a championship, he competed for the NXT Title, and his most notable feud was with Bron Breakker.

It's unclear what exactly WWE saw in Wagner that most others didn't. It might well have been his size. Wagner is a pretty big guy, and while WWE is now a place where people under six foot five can flourish, if you're bigger than most, it still helps. Wagner is also a second-generation wrestler - his dad is Wayne Bloom - meaning he likely got more opportunities than others might have been given.